


i never find out 'til i'm head over heels

by lovevalley45



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Vlogger Zari, Yoga Instructor Nate Heywood, bg darhkatomwu bc i'm not a coward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-09-27 04:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20401894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovevalley45/pseuds/lovevalley45
Summary: In which Zari definitely does not have a crush on her roommate's hot yoga instructor friend.Okay, maybe a little bit.





	1. taco bell

**Author's Note:**

> ayyy guess who's finally posting that au i've been promising to post for.... so long. 
> 
> inspired by this post (https://lovevalley45.tumblr.com/post/185961227844/drnathanielheywood-lovevalley45-the-scene) made by Yours Truly
> 
> title from 'head over heels' by tears for fears bc i thought. yoga pun. i'm not funny
> 
> enjoy

In the two months since she lived in Central City, Zari had definitely become a bit of a recluse. She’d blame on the fact that she’s trying to adjust. But for someone whose career focused around social media, she really wasn’t a social person.

On the other hand, her roommate, Mona, is a bubbly social butterfly. It’s not like that’s a problem - usually none of her friends come over because she’s meeting them at her boyfriend’s place on the outskirts of the city. Zari hasn’t even bothered to ask why she’s sharing this semi-crappy apartment with her.

The only reason she agrees to Mona dragging her out to some party that night is because she’s spent the last four hours trying to edit her latest video. Her eyes need a break and, well-

“The last time you left the house was for a late-night snack run,” Mona says as they ride over in the Uber. 

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Zari replies. It’s not like she doesn’t have a point. “But you don’t have to force me to meet your friends.”

“Come on, Z. Name one person you know in Central City.”

“There’s Nora-”

“Nora doesn’t count, she’s my girlfriend.”

Zari groans. “Fine.”

The party is already going strong when they show up. Mona keeps her from slipping away,  _ damnit _ , as they go to find Ray.

Mona’s giant teddy bear of a boyfriend is talking to some buff dude when they go to talk to him. “Hey, Mona,” Ray says, breaking his back to kiss her on the cheek. “Oh, hey, Z!”

Zari forces a smile from where she’s standing behind her, waiting for the opportunity to get away from this. “Hey.”

“Have you met Nate yet?” he asks, referring to the dude next to him. “Nate, this is Zari.”

“Yo,” Nate says, waving. “You’re her roommate, right?”

“Yep,” Zari replies. This is going great. “I’m going to- where are the snacks?”

“In the kitchen,” Ray answers. 

“Yeah. Bye.” Finally, an out. She goes to the kitchen, leaving Mona to talk with Ray and Nate.

* * *

Zari ends up disappearing into a sitting room not too far from the rest of the party. It’s nice and semi-quiet as she ends up scrolling through Twitter. 

She’s enjoying the peace when someone comes in. It’s that one dude, the buff one Ray was talking to. Does everyone in Central City have a commitment to bodybuilding? When he sees her, he looks just as surprised to find her here as she is. 

“Hey,” he says, trying and failing to seem casual.

Zari narrows her eyes at him. “Hey?”

He sits down in the empty chair beside her, slumping in his seat. “I thought there wouldn’t be anyone here.”

“You thought wrong,” she says, putting her phone down. She didn’t know what this guy’s game was, but he was ruining her solitude. “Look, I came here to get away from everyone and you’re kinda - part of everyone.”

The dude - Nate? - closes his eyes, looking tired with life, before saying, “I’m just trying to get away from my ex, okay?”

She raises her eyebrows, giving him her patented  _ seriously, dude?  _ look. Many a dude has been intimidated by this look, but he looks too miserable to care.

Eventually, Zari groans, knowing that there’s one way out of this - trying to emphasize with this guy. 

“What’d she do, write a song about your messy ass breakup?” 

He turns to her, smiling a little. “Luckily, no. That’s a ... pretty specific example.”

She shrugs. “I’ve had some talented exes.” It’d be the perfect opportunity to make an innuendo (Charlie wasn’t just musically gifted, after all), but it isn’t the right time. “It isn’t going to be the end of the world.”

Nate just pouts, and she can’t remember the last time she saw a grown man pout. 

“Hey,” Zari says, shutting down the pouting. “You can stay in here if-” she points a threatening finger at him, “-if you stop pouting. And being a general miserable piece of shit.”

He nods. “Deal.”

The thing is, when Nate isn’t being a miserable pain in the ass, he’s a cool guy. And really easy to talk to. He has this weird air about him that makes her want to complain to him about her problems while he plays with her hair.

So she does. Not the playing with her hair part, but she ends up talking to him. A lot. She tells him about her moving to Central City out of the blue because she just needed a change. Surface level shit, because she’s definitely not ready to spill her guts to this stranger. He asks about that ex, and she can’t tell him the story without laughing because of how it led to them becoming friends again. 

It ends up being a cycle of stupid stories - some from her time in Seattle, others from his time in Central City. She talks about the time her brother nearly burned their apartment down the first time he tried to make  _ iftar _ . He rebutes her with a story about his friend Sara who made weed brownies with him and nearly choked to death when they realized they fucked up the recipe. It goes on, and on, until her phone buzzes.

By then, it’s nearly 11. She checks her phone to find a text from Mona.  _ Staying here tonight. Don’t get into trouble _ .

Well, she supposes, she hadn’t got into trouble. Not yet. Besides, who is Mona to tell her not to get into any trouble?

Zari sits up a little from her spot on the floor. “Hey.”

“What?” Nate asks, opening one of his eyes as he lays beside her.

“Wanna go get some food or something?”

“Bro,” he says, beside her. “I’d love to get some food.”

* * *

Maybe it’s not the smartest idea to sneak out of a party with a friend of a friend to go to Taco Bell. It wasn’t the smartest idea to move out of the apartment she shared with her brother - a good, somewhat fair arrangement - to a random city to move in with some stranger she’d talked to maybe twice. No one has ever told Zari that she’s had the smartest ideas.

But they’ve already agreed the health food here kinda sucks. And those Cinnabon delight things are good. Besides, the party is already winding down when they slip out, letting Nate guide her out the back because this house is some kind of labyrinth or something.

The Taco Bell close to Ray’s house is open until 2 AM, perfect for a pair of party escapees. When they get there, the only people there are some poor cashier and a couple getting way too close in one of the booths. 

Zari looks up at the menu. “Who comes up with these things?” she asks. “Quesarito?”

“I mean,” Nate says. “How can you hate a cheese wrapped burrito?”

She shrugs. “I guess.” 

“Are you two ready to order yet?” the cashier sighs. 

Zari turns to him. “You ready?”

“You go first.”

“Fine.” She turns to the cashier. “I’ll have a 12-pack of the Cinnabon delights.” 

“I think I’ll try that quesarito,” Nate comments, putting unneeded emphasis on each syllable in the word. “Or two.”

The cashier rolls his eyes as he puts the order in. Zari pulls out her wallet - he paid for the Uber, it’s only fair if she pays. “Oh, yeah, and two drinks.”

He puts two cups on the counter, making her flinch a little. “There.”

She puts on her fakest smile as she swipes her card. “Thank you.”

They get their drinks and snag a booth as far as possible from the other couple. It’s right by the drive-thru, so they can watch the cars go by. 

“You usually leave parties for Taco Bell?” Zari asks, taking a sip of her Sprite. 

“Eh,” Nate says. “Not usually.”

“Well, I’m not a big people-person, so-” She smiles a little. “Thanks for giving me an out.”

“Don’t you like, make videos for a living?” he asks, confused. 

“That doesn’t mean I like people,” Zari replies. She doesn’t add  _ but I like you _ , because it’s been a long time since she’s liked someone so fast. He’s a nice dude, sure. Not in the overwhelming good way Ray is, but the gentle niceness that wraps her like a warm sweater. When it comes down to it, though-

“Zari!” the cashier calls in a bored voice. 

Nate stands up. “I’ll get it.” 

She watches him walk away, tapping her fingers on the table. Taco Bell isn’t the place for her to think about this. Maybe there’s a little something there, but that’s a problem for the morning. 

* * *

The next morning, Mona comes home from Ray’s with a grin plastered on her face. “So, I heard you and Nate got pretty close last night.”

Zari looks up from her cereal. “What?”

“You two disappeared for most of the party.”

Dipping out for a late-night food run does tend to be a little suspicious. “Uh. We went to Taco Bell.”

Mona gives her a wide-eyed look. “You left to go to Taco Bell?”

“Yeah,” Zari says, absent-mindedly messing with her spoon. “We were bored.” It sounds a lot more casual than it felt. That warm sweater feeling decided to stick around, though, as she smiles. God, when did she become such a sap?

“You like him,” Mona says, the grin slowly growing again. “Oh my God, you do!”

Zari rolls her eyes. “Shut up.” It’s still way too early for this.


	2. the yoga class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zari and Nate meet again - though not quite in the way she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have to apologize in advance that all of these chapters names are going to be Like That. i really need to change the name of the first chapter to its proper, more hilarious name tbh
> 
> anyways here we go again (ay) with that good steelhacker SHIT

Ever since they moved in together, Mona has tried to drag Zari to her yoga classes. Apparently, it’s a studio one of her friends runs - a friend who she didn’t get to meet at the party. She’s never been a yoga person - in fact, she prefers e-sports to actual sports. 

But this week, she doesn’t give Zari much a choice. She’s trying to enjoy a nice snack break when Mona jumps on the counter. “Hey.”

“I’m busy,” Zari says around a mouth of popcorn. 

“I’m going to yoga,” she announces, already in her fitness clothes. 

“Okay? Cool.”

“And you’re coming with me,” Mona says. 

“Really?” Zari asks. “I’m not a-” She scrunches up her nose. “-fitness person.”

“Come on, Z,” Mona practically whines. “Just one class.”

She wonders, not for the first time, why she hasn’t found a new roommate yet. But then again, she’s spent the day ruining her eyesight trying to think of video ideas. “Fine.”

Mona grins.

“But we’re getting dinner afterwards. And you’re paying.”

* * *

Zari didn’t think much of the grin on Mona’s face as they walked to the studio. She was awfully quiet though… almost worryingly quiet. No babbling about how great the class was going to be or how awesome this friend was.

Actually, she didn’t think she knew who was running it. None of the people at Ray’s party seemed like the yoga type, at least not to her.

“So, who’s this friend anyways?”

“You’ll see,” her roommate answers. Suspicious

Mona opens the door for her to step through. The place was nice, sure, but Zari was a touch undressed in an old UDub t-shirt. A few people were already gathered, mostly women their age.

“Oh, hey guys!” a familiar voice calls out. Oh no. It was Nate.

And he was  _ hot _ . Shit. She’s pretty damn sure he wasn’t that hot when they were at Taco Bell, spilling mild sauce on his shirt as they made stupid jokes. Maybe it’s the biceps, she thinks. He’s wearing some tight ass tank top that really leaves those guns out on display. Why did buff dudes have to be her type?

This really just isn’t fair. How the fuck could that stoner dude also be a yoga instructor? This wasn’t LA or some shit, come on. No wonder Mona had been insistent on Zari joining her.

“Hey!” Mona says, pulling her towards him. Shit, shit,  _ shit _ , why did she have to move in with the matchmaker of Central City? “You remember Zari, right?”

Nate smiles. “Yeah. I didn’t think you did yoga.” 

It’s like she forgets how to act, like they hadn’t laughed at stupid jokes while eating shitty fast food. “I, uh, I’m trying to get into it,” Zari says, trying and failing to seem cool with this. She’s never been a really good liar under pressure. But if he noticed, he didn’t seem to care.

“Well, then I’ll keep it easy today,” he says with a wink before leaving them alone.

Zari gently hits Mona’s arm. “You didn’t tell me he was going to be the instructor,” she whispers harshly.

Mona shrugs. “I thought it would be a good chance for you two to talk again,” she replies. 

Zari groans, rolling out Mona’s spare mat. “This is the only time I’m coming here,” she grumbles. 

* * *

Either Nate had been joking about keeping it easy or she was just really bad at yoga. It didn’t help that he was super flexible. Like, make her wonder what he’d be like in bed flexible. That was a little distracting. 

By the end of the class, Zari was ready to go home and take a nice, long shower. Or a nap. Or maybe both - napping in the shower could work, right? Mona tosses her a water bottle, which she takes with a scowl. 

Nate strides up to them, looking way too happy for anyone who just spent an hour doing yoga. “So, what did you think of the class?” he asks as she glares at him. 

“I think I’m suing,” she answers.

He laughs awkwardly, before saying, “Please don’t.”

“Guess yoga’s not my thing,” Zari says, turning to Mona. “Too bad.”

“Hey, don’t give up on yourself that easily,” Nate says, trying to be encouraging. “I actually offer a beginner’s classes on Tuesday mornings, if you’re free.”

After this, there was a tiny possibility that Zari would ever, ever go back to yoga. She had much better things to do with her time. 

But, fuck, Nate puts on this stupid cheesy smile that maybe, possibly convinced her that giving yoga a second try couldn’t be  _ too _ bad. 

“I’ll… maybe... consider it?” It isn’t a definite yes - she could back out if she wanted to. 

His smile turns into a grin, like she just made his day by even suggesting he’d see her again. She feels her cheeks heat up and hopes that post workout glow/sweat would cover up the blush on her face. “Great! Uh, give me your number so I can text you the details.” Nate pats the pockets on his sweats, before laughing. “Yeah. I don’t- hold on-”

Mona turns to her, grinning as he rushed away. “Are you going to go?”

“I mean-” There was no talking her way around this. “Yeah. I guess,” Zari says, sighing. 

She chalks it up to a moment of weakness - she can probably get out of it. But even then, she can’t even convince herself. Oh, she’s really fucked, isn’t she?

Mona squeals. “It’s going to be great!”

“By the way, you still owe me dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next time on 'flirting thru yoga classes', zari ends up actually going to a yoga class
> 
> when will that be up? probably sometime next week. i would make promises but i can only guarantee that i will post again
> 
> leave a kudo/a comment if u like this fic and/or if u have also been mispronouncing shayan's name for the last three months. stay crispy yall


	3. the first not-date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zari takes Nate up on his offer of his beginner’s class and a little something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayo ayo ready for a new chapter? yeet
> 
> i can't think of any witty things to say bc i woke up at 1 am so enjoy i guess

When next Tuesday comes around, however, she hadn’t tried to get out of it. Nate had texted her the night before, saying ‘looking forward to seeing you tomorrow’ with a little smiley-face emoji. Usually, she abhored emojis but that stupid little smiley face sent her heart fluttering. Damnit. 

Now Zari’s gotta go. When had she grown so damn soft?

He smiles when he sees her walk in, going up her while she’s lying her mat down. “Hey, you made it,” he says. He’s wearing in another ultra tight tank-top, this time one with the words  _ ABS OF STEEL  _ across his chest. Oh, she bet they really were.

Damnit, Z, is this really the time for that?

“Yeah, I didn’t have anything better to do,” Zari says, standing up. 

“Uh, just so you know, this class is a lot more hands-on,” Nate says, putting his hands on his hips. “If you’re having some trouble, I’ll just give you a hand if you need it.”

“Thanks.” She crosses her arms. It’s a beginners class, how bad can it be? “But I won’t need it.”

Okay, maybe she did need it. It’s really a lot less helpful when Nate comes over and puts his warm hands on her shoulder to adjust her pose, and later when he helps her get her legs into the right position. It might have been her imagination, but she could swear he’s giving her a little extra attention.

By the end of the class, Zari thinks that there were maybe some perks to yoga class. Like hot instructors who helped you out. 

Not that Mona needs to know that when she goes to next week’s class. And the class after that. 

When she asked if she liked the class, Zari used the classic reason of ‘it’s nice to have an excuse to get out of the house.’ Even if she would rather stay inside all day if she could.

After her fourth class, Zari was getting ready to leave when Nate stopped her on the way out.

“Hey, Z,” he says, jogging up to her. “Are you doing anything right now?”

“Other than leaving your class, not really,” she says. 

Nate clears his throat. “You maybe want to grab a smoothie or something?”

“Uh ... as friends?” Zari asks. 

Relationships aren’t really her thing. Sure, she’s stayed close with her most recent ex, Charlie, but other than that her love life has been a series of half-hearted hook-ups. She even tried a Tinder date when she first moved, but that dude was way too into her.

As many ‘warm sweater’ feelings she gets around him, she’s not sure she’s willing to make this (or Natari, what Mona has affectionately dubbed them) a thing. It doesn’t help that she’s 80% sure this dude isn’t over his ex yet, if their first meeting was any indicator. 

He smiles, but she can tell he’s a little disappointed. “Yeah. Friends.” 

“Okay,” she says, finally. “Let’s go.”

They end up going to some hipster-ish smoothie shop a block away from the studio. It’s nice enough to make Zari remember that it’s been too long since her last Instagram post. She’s not really a fan of Instagram - Twitter is her go to. 140 characters is perfect for witty comments. 

While they wait for their orders (some protein shake for him, and a fruity smoothie for her), she says, “Hey, can you take a picture of me real quick?”

Nate gives her a confused look as she shoves her phone in his hands. “Why?” 

She leans against the counter, absentmindedly messing with her hair. “Apparently I have to post sometimes so my followers can feel the love or something.” Back home, she’d force Behrad to take photos for her, but Nate will have to do. 

“Okay.” He smiles awkwardly as he takes a picture. “Never thought this was a condition in our friendship.”

Zari shrugs. “Get used to it.”

Nate takes a few more photos before their smoothies are ready. He’s not the best photographer, but it’s better than her own selfies. 

They take their drinks to a table by the window, where the sun is just right. She usually just posts photos of herself, but shit, Nate’s still hot drinking a green sludge that’s supposed to be a beverage. 

“Smile,” she says, aiming the camera at his face. He scrunches his face up, crossing his eyes and she has to hold in her laughter as she takes a photo. “What’s your account?”

“Oh, God, you’re actually going to post that?” Nate asks, taking her phone from her hand. 

Zari collapses into laughter as his face goes pale. “If you’re that worried-“

“No.” He types in his account - @nhyoga1981 - before giving back her phone. “Post it.” He puts on a pretty confident face for someone who looked absolutely mortified two seconds ago.

She adds some caption about yoga and dorks when she posts it. After that, she puts it away, wanting to focus on this not-date. 

And shit, life is not fair to Zari today. Nate’s not just hot, nice, and super flexible - he’s also got a sense of humor. 

But he thinks she’s funny too, and makes stupid movie references that she doesn’t get because she’s not old (“I’m not that much older than you!”) which he promises to make her watch someday.

“Fine, but only if you have good snacks,” Zari says, sipping on what’s left of her smoothie. She probably has to go soon, which sucks. When did she start enjoying this so much?

“Zari,” Nate says, putting a hand over his chest. “I always have good snacks.” 

* * *

Two days later, Behrad calls her in a mood. “What’s up, the wonderful piece of shit I call my sister?” he asks.

“What did I do?” she replies, sighing dramatically so he can hear her annoyance over the phone. It’s way too late for phone calls, even from her baby brother back in Seattle. Especially since it’s midnight here in Central. Maybe she should be asleep but she started making a scarf and… wow, her life is really boring, huh.

“I can’t believe I have to find out you’re dating some- hot fucking yoga instructor through your Instagram,” Behrad says, shocked at the audacity of it all. It’s gotta be boring at home if this is the latest gossip in the Tomaz-Tarazi family right now.

“I thought you didn’t follow my Instagram. Something about not wanting to see my fans leaving thirst comments on my photos” Zari says, trying to get him to drop it.

Unfortunately, stubbornness is in their genes. “Zari.” If he were here, he’d be giving his ‘I’m your younger brother but I also have to personally vet all of your romantic partners’ look, crossed arms and all. Damnit, when did he decide to step up and be the protective one?

“His name’s Nate. We’re just friends.”

“Where have I heard that before? You’re a terrible liar, Z.”

Okay, he’s right. She is a little bit of a bad liar. But she isn’t lying, so maybe she’s a better liar than she thought? Her math is probably wrong on that, but it’s also  _ midnight _ . Too late for logic. 

“Seriously? When did you become the relationship police?” she asks.

“When I had to walk in on you and Charlie making out on two separate occasions. Come on, spill!”

“I met him through Mona, started going to his yoga classes, and now we hang out.”

“So…. when do I get to meet him?”

Zari lets out another heavy sigh. “Go back to your studying, B-dude.” With that, she ends the call. Why does everyone care more about her love life than she does? It’s starting to get exhausting. She turns her podcast back on and keeps crocheting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya yeet if u enjoyed this chapter leave a kudo and/or a comment
> 
> or just comment if you're tired of me saying yeet bc i am


	4. the pool party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up in Central City, and not just the weather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes this is a chapter i love
> 
> not to say i didn't love the other ones but i especially love this one
> 
> i hope y'lal love it too

Yoga class and smoothies somehow work their way into her routine, something Zari has never thought would happen. Spending the time with Nate is always incentive to get her out of the house, even when she’s stayed up all night editing.

She’s gotten better at yoga, so she’s at least semi-decent. Apparently semi-decent is the level when Nate stops being hands-on. It’s a bummer, yeah, but she gets to spend an hour in that little smoothie shop with him. Maybe that makes up for it. 

Through this, spending more time with Nate and stuff, she starts spending more time with his other friends. The  _ Legends _ or whatever stupid name they gave themself. One time, Sara and her fiancee Ava join them after their class to talk. Zari spends most of the time talking to Ava and watching the other two be idiots. 

Mona’s been dragging her out to more stuff too, forcing her to actually talk to people. It’s not as bad as she makes it seem, hanging out with Mick and appreciating his great taste in sandwiches (at least, the ones without ham or bacon). Or she’ll bug Constantine, who makes her want to dump tea in a harbor somewhere more than Charlie did. Not that she’s ever been patriotic, but he’s just so… British that it’s pretty fucking annoying, mate.

Zari and Nate have gotten pretty close too, which means that she’s inadvertently spending more time with Mona’s partners. Nora usually just chills around Ray’s house when she’s not doing her birthday parties or ren faires (seriously, what is up with these people?). Usually, that means when Nate and Ray are doing their bro thing, Nora and Zari take turns being the resident smartass. It’s fun.

Well, it only took a few months for her to forcibly become part of this friend group. All things considered, there could be worse things to happen to her.

* * *

There’s one member of the Legends Zari doesn’t meet until one of her weekly classes. She’s missed a few during Ramadan and heading back to Seattle for Eid, but she’s actually happy to be back for yoga. Weird.

She walks into the studio to see Nate talking to some lanky dude who’s probably about her brother’s age.

Zari thinks that she’ll let them be, but he’s already waving her over. Fine, then. 

“Hey, Nate,” she says, holding up a hand in a half-hearted wave. The dude he’s talking to turns to her with a smile.

“Hey.” Nate pats his friend on the shoulder, probably dislocating it. Poor guy. “This is my friend, Wally. He just came in from Cambodia. Wally, this is Zari.”

Wally grins. “Hey.”

“You know, Ray’s having a party to welcome him back. It’s supposed to be a pool party, you should come.”

Given the terrible heat lately, a pool party sounds great. Zari smiles. “Yeah. Cool.”

“I should probably go,” Wally says. “My sister wants me to meet up with her and her husband so, I’ll see you then?”

“Of course, bro.” Nate pulls him into a bro hug - oh, she hopes he hasn’t bruised his poor shoulder.

“Nice to meet you,” Wally adds before leaving. 

“So, you’re coming, right?” Nate asks her. 

It’s getting hot here in Central City. Seattle was never this hot, and never this - ugh, sticky. A nice pool day is probably what she needs. “Sure.”

* * *

That Saturday, Zari and Mona arrive at the Palmer residence, ready to party. It’s already hot, but she’s not dressed to swim. She’ll just die looking gorgeous and beach-ready by Ray’s pool, which really isn’t the worst way to go. 

Sara opens the door, clad in a bikini top with some wrap skirt and it really isn’t fair that everyone in this hell city of humidity is hot. Her abs are out and all Zari can think is that Ava is a very, very lucky woman. “Hey, guys.”

Mona smiles. “Hey, Sara. Are we too early?”

Sara laughs. “If you were early, I wouldn’t be here.” She lets them in to walk through the cool house, then out to the pool.

There’s already a few people there. Wally and Ray catching up, probably about some nerd stuff. Nora greets Mona as she walks in with a kiss, which is adorable and nauseating. PDA is so not her thing. Constantine is about to light a cigarette, but Ava flicks it into the pool before he can even get his lighter out. 

Ah, peace and somewhat quiet. She wonders how long this can last.

Well, knowing the Legends, probably five minutes. And even that’s generous. 

Zari claims an empty lounge chair, laying out her towel and stretching out. She probably won’t be moving from here until the food’s being served. Last she checked, Mick’s at the grill, meaning there’s probably something she can actually eat. She smiles and pulls out one of Mona’s Rebecca Silver books (oh, the irony, she thinks, shooting a quick glance at the grillmaster) to read. 

She’s in the middle of one of the steamier parts when someone blocks her sun. Fuck, can’t she work on her tan in peace? With a sigh, she shoves the old receipt she’s using as a bookmark to keep her place and looks up.

“You’re blocking my sun,” Zari tells Nate, glaring up at him. The sun creates a blinding halo around him, which is annoying both for its romantic symbolism bullshit and the way it hurts her eyes. 

“You’ll survive,” he says before sitting on the end of her lounge chair. She decides not to point out that the chair next to her is empty. He’ll figure it out, probably. 

“I stay inside 95% of the time, I’m already missing out on Vitamin D.” It’s barely a moment before she realizes what she said. All she can hope is that he doesn’t make a sex joke, please don’t make a sex joke, if he makes a sex joke she’ll die- 

“I mean, there’s lots of foods with Vitamin D,” Nate finally answers, thank fuck. He gives her a mischievous smile as he continues, “But maybe you should give Tinder a try.” Damnit. 

“Yeah, no, last time I tried Tinder the dude I hooked up with tried to convince me to marry him,” Zari says. “I had to decline.”

“And I thought I was forward,” he jokes.

“Food’s done!” a gruff voice calls from across the patio. 

She gets up, hitting him lightly with her book. “You’re really not.”

* * *

Mick’s a good cook, another weird layer to the criminal that Ray hangs out with. The dynamics of this friend group never ceases to confuse her. She ends up having a veggie burger with some mac and cheese that makes her offer a hand in marriage to whoever brought it. Unfortunately, it’s Nora, so Zari has to withdraw her offer when Mona puts on a sad face. 

“So, I guess you were saving yourself for someone with good cooking skills, huh?” Nate says beside her, nudging her with his elbow.

She barely suppresses a laugh. “Shut up.” 

Mona smiles, forgetting her sorrow of losing her girlfriend over macaroni and cheese. “Is that the Sunjay story?”

“The what story?” Sara asks. “Who’s Sunjay?”

Zari groans dramatically. “Great, now I have to tell everyone,” she complains.

“Tell it, tell it, tell it,” Nora chants, banging her fist on the table as she grins.

“Fine, fine-”

* * *

After they finish eating and talking about her awkward marriage refusal, Zari reclaims her lounge chair. Today, she’s content to watch the Legends be idiots as they swim, continuing her book. Nora joins her in the other empty chair, taking out her own book. They end up talking about romance novels and how it’s really an underappreciated form of literature if done right. She can’t blame her strong opinions on the subject entirely on Mona, and neither can Nora.

She’s left Zari alone to get a refill when Nate comes out of the pool. And fuck, Zari feels like she’s in the middle of some rom com, or maybe a porno. He’s dripping wet, her eyes glancing over his biceps and his chest and his  _ abs _ , fuck. 

“Wow,” Nora says, as she sits back down. “You’re really into him.”

Zari chokes on her mocktail, having to take a moment to cough because  _ can we go one day without this shit _ . “I’m not into Nate,” she says. “I mean, he’s hot. I have eyes.”

“Duh, of course he’s hot. But I don’t look at my friends like that.” Nora grins. 

“Well, your boyfriend is also a man of muscle. You don’t need to look at him like that.”

Nora shrugs. Once again, it’s not fair how hot everyone here is. 

Zari leans back in her lounge chair, crossing her arms. “Can you and your girlfriend give me a break about my love life?”

“No,” Nora says, taking a sip of her drink.

She’s wondering why everyone in this fucking city is so intrigued with who she’s dating when Nate comes over. He looks better up close, glistening in the sun- okay, she’s definitely been reading too many of Mona’s romance novels. 

“Are you going to get into the pool?” he asks her. 

“Do I look like I’m dressed for the pool?” Zari says. 

He spends a little too long looking at her outfit to decide. She’s wearing pants and a bikini top, it’s not that hard. “Uh. Not really.”

Beside her, Nora tries and fails to suppress her laughter. Traitor. “I’m going to take a dip,” she says, taking off her coverup as she leaves the two of them alone. 

Zari watches her jump into the pool then turns to Nate. “Since you don’t seem to be doing anything-” she takes out her phone “-wanna take some poolside pics?”

Even though he acts annoyed when he takes her phone, Nate grins as she poses. “You look great!” he says as he holds up her phone.

Yeah, there’s probably a few pictures that catch her blushing, but she can blame the heat for that. 

She poses one last time, taking a fake sip of her virgin pina colada before getting up. “Okay, your turn.”

“My turn?” He laughs until she pushes him onto the lounge chair.

“Smile.” Zari manages to snap a photo of him looking up at her in shock, but that's the one she’s saving for herself. 

Nate collects himself, stretching his arms above his head to show off his muscles. It’s completely unfair, but she still takes about a dozen pictures.

“How do I look?” he asks as she shoves him aside to sit on the edge of the chair. He puts a hand on her arm to steady himself, peering over her shoulder.

“You look like someone who works out for a living.”

“Good.”

As Zari posts the photos with the caption  _ pool day with @nheywood1981 _ , she smiles. Even if the comments are abuzz with rumors, they both look good. 

_ b.rad.tarazi: just friends my ass _

_ z: @b.rad.tarazi don’t just comment on my pictures u coward _

With that, she puts her phone down and turns to Nate. “My followers love you.”

“I know,” he jokes. “They must love the eye candy.”

Zari rolls her eyes, still smiling. That’s one way to put it, she supposes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo yo yo if u enjoyed this chapter leave a comment/a kudo if u haven't gotten the chance to! why haven't i been leaving snippets abt what happens next chapter actually
> 
> next week we got baking! yay!


	5. bad baking: baklava

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zari needs Nate for an odd favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bakin time babes
> 
> uhhh nearly forgot to post this chapter but here i am yeet

Zari wouldn’t say she has a brand. She vlogs a little, makes a few gaming videos, tries some weird food. All of that content, however, pales in comparison to her  _ Bad Baking _ and  _ Bad Cooking _ series. 

It started as a joke - dragging Behrad into some stupid cooking video with her because they had nothing better to do. 

That one video had been the start of a legacy. She’d drag him into those videos every now and then, sometimes drag Charlie into them. 

Of course, Behrad is busy with medical school in Seattle. That’s one of the downsides of living here - she can’t just drag her brother into videos whenever he has free time. Charlie’s busy on tour, too, meaning Mona’s been her partner for the last few.

It’s time to spice things up a bit with some semi-decent cooking, so Zari gets ready for another video. She pulls out her ridiculous ‘Z’ apron - the bedazzled monster she broke out for her first video and kept using. She finds an easy-ish dessert to make, finds a day Mona’s off, buys all the ingredients - it takes a lot of prep.

On the day of the video, she’s setting up the kitchen when Mona comes out of her room, looking like shit. “Whoa,” Zari says, looking up from her tripod. “You okay?”

“I think I’m coming down with something,” Mona says, sniffling. 

Zari sighs. “Damnit.” She checks to see if it’s adjusted properly, before stepping away from the tripod. “Guess I’m doing this alone.”

Mona coughs her lungs out before suggesting, “You could call Nate.” Even when dying of a cold  _ in the middle of fucking summer _ , she takes the time to play matchmaker. 

And even though Zari just wants to wave her off and try to call anyone else, she can’t deny that cooking with Nate would probably be hilarious. It’d fuel the rumors that they’re dating, but that’s a plus for her image. It’s tempting. 

She shepherds Mona back into her room to suffer in peace before calling him. This isn’t a conversation she wants to have with her in the room, with that grin she gives her whenever she’s interfering her love life. 

“Yello,” he says as he picks up the phone. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” Zari says. “Are you doing anything right now?”

“Uh.” He’s quiet, before saying, “Not really.”

“Can you come over?” She closes her eyes, mentally preparing herself. “I need help filming something.”

Nate laughs, which is never a great answer. “I’m not a cameraman, Z.”

“Not like that,” Zari groans. “Look, I just need you to stand beside me, look hot, and make jokes. You’re good at that.” Under any other circumstances, she would go back and argue that she didn’t mean to call him hot, but right now she doesn’t give a fuck. “Come on, dude. You’ll get free food.”

“You- Sure. Yeah.” He clears his throat. “Yeah. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She smiles. “Great. See you soon.” Zari hangs up, feeling pretty good about this video.

* * *

An hour after Nate shows up, they’re finally ready to film. She’s already shoved him into Mona’s usual apron, with a calico cat design over the chest. 

Zari adjusts her apron over her flannel, making sure her sleeves are pushed up before starting the camera and rushing around to the other side of the counter. Nate stays out of frame, waiting for her cue as she smiles at the camera.

“Hey, Z here. It’s what you’ve been waiting for - another edition of Bad Baking! I know you missed me and this fabulous apron, but I’m back again. We’ve got a new bad baker with us today!”

She waits, before groaning. “Nate, that’s your cue.”

Nate slides in, nearly bumping into her in the process. “Hey, guys.”

“Nate. How much baking experience do you have?” Zari asks him, putting her hands on her hips.

“Uh… I tried to help my friend make weed brownies once and nearly killed her,” he says, smiling awkwardly. Maybe she should have checked to see if he was camera ready.

“Great.” She slaps him twice on the chest before turning back to the camera. “Today, we’re going to be trying to make baklava - thanks to Mark Bittman, once again. Now, he called this recipe ‘foolproof’, so let’s hope we don’t fuck it up.” 

Somehow, they don’t fuck it up. They nearly forget to make the syrup to pour over it when it’s finished cooking, but that’s a mistake they can easily edit out. 

When their masterpiece is done, they both scoop up a piece.

“Ready to see how well we did?” Zari asks, holding their forks just right for the camera.

“Yep,” Nate says.

They’re about to clink their forks together when disaster strikes. The big piece of baklava that’s been balanced on the edge of his fork topples over.

“No!” he says, eyes widening at the ruined baklava. Really, it’s only fallen on the counter, but the distance doesn’t matter. It’s a real-life tragedy playing out in her stupid cooking video.

She laughs as he glumly scoops up another piece. “Don’t drop this one.”

“I’ll try.” 

This time, when they clink their forks, both of their pieces of baklava hold on enough for them to take a bite.

“This is good,” Nate says, mouth full of their delicious dessert. “We did it!”

Zari smiles, still chewing. He has this cute little crooked grin as he turns to her and-

Oh shit. She’s really into this dude. The camera probably captures her look of absolute  _ fuck my life _ as it hits her, but he doesn’t seem to notice her slight crisis.

“What do you think, Z?” he asks, scooping up another bite.

“Oh, it’s good,” she says, before turning back to the camera. “This baklava was not a fail, guys.” 

Once they’ve wrapped up and she’s turning off the camera, Nate remarks, “We make a good team, huh?”

“Yeah. We do,” Zari replies. 

* * *

_ Bad Baking: Baklava _ is a hit. Zari’s not surprised - those videos always do well, although she chalks it up sometimes to people being into her brother. It’s weird. 

Though, using a picture of her and Nate posing with their finished baklava as the thumbnail probably helps draw people in. 

It works, given that the first comment she sees is about how cute of a couple they are. Someone replies that she and Charlie were cuter, discourse that she doesn’t want to get into.

She keeps replaying the day in her mind long after she’s edited the footage. There was a lot to go through - them laughing and being idiots, the little smiles he’d shoot her when she wasn’t paying attention. No wonder people think they’re a couple.

Zari closes her laptop. It used to be fun but now that she realizes that she might actually have feelings for him - well, it’s weird. It’s weird to think about people being so into her love life. She never used to mind it with Charlie - they were already getting popular from being the lead singer of The Smell - but now it’s different. 

She gets up to get herself another piece of baklava. After all, it was pretty good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it might take some time for the next chapter to be up bc i'm uh. still writing it but ya know when it's finished (and hopefully the chapter after that) i'll have it up
> 
> if u liked this, comment/leave a kudo if u haven't already. next up.... well, i'm still working on it. stay crispy y'all


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zari returns the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ik this chapter is technically a week late but it's also a day early so sike
> 
> finally settled on this idea after struggling what to write after the baking video but here it is
> 
> enjoy! next chapter might take longer as well since i'm also doing fictober but at least ik what i'm doing

Zari so wants to ditch yoga. She really does.

How can she face Nate and go on another smoothie not-date with him knowing that she’s into him? That just makes this whole thing so much more complicated.

Yeah, she’s thought he was hot since that first class. But in a platonic, yeah-I’d-bang-him way. 

...Okay, maybe not that platonic. He was exactly her type - buff, nice, funny. If there was a list of how to get into Zari’s pants, those would all be on the checklist, along with ‘competitive.’ 

She also needs higher standards, apparently. Nate meets those three, maybe not ‘competitive’, but he’s got the main three. And a nice ass. Damnit.

After trying and failing to come up with a good excuse, she gives up and goes to her weekly yoga class. Maybe she can come up with an excuse to avoid getting smoothies?

As soon as Nate approaches her after class, though, Zari knows she’s not getting out of this. 

“Hey,” he asks. “Still on for smoothies?”

“Yeah, of course,” she says? grinning. Is she smiling too much? Oh, God, why does she care about what he thinks? 

They go to their usual place and manage to snag a spot by the window. Outside, people hurry by in the heat.

Zari taps her fingers against the table as she listens to Nate tell some story about going shopping for suits with Ray. Oh right, she remembers, Ava and Sara’s wedding is coming up. 

“Oh, fuck,” he says out of the blue, before groaning. 

“What?” she asks. 

“I need a plus-one for the wedding,” Nate replies. “My ex is going to be there, I can’t show up alone.”

In what will perhaps go down as her worst decision in all time, Zari says, “I can be your plus one.”

The moment the words leave her mouth, she regrets it. But he smiles and well shit, she can’t take it back now. 

“I mean, you helped me with that baklava video. It’s the least I can do,” she adds. If she can pass it off as returning the favor, it’s cool. It’s what friends do for each other - you ask them to help you with something, and in return you help them with they need you. 

Besides, she knows Sara and Ava. They seem like the type to not have a super elegant and fancy wedding. That’s one thing she doesn’t have to worry about.

But, just in case-

“By the way, I’m not pretending to be your girlfriend.”

Nate nearly chokes on his smoothie, as if she already wasn’t full of regret about this decision. “Yeah, of course not. Obviously.” 

“Yeah, obviously,” she repeats, going back to her smoothie. God, she’s really fucked herself over here, hasn’t she?

* * *

“Mona, I need your help,” is a sentence Zari never thought she’d utter, but here she is, knocking on her roommate’s door.

It’s barely half a minute before the door swings up. Mona grins. “Nate finally asked you out?”

Zari presses her lips together. “I kinda agreed to be his plus-one for Sara and Ava’s wedding.” Before the squealing starts, she adds, “As a friend.”

“You still technically agreed to be his date,” Mona says. “Because you like him.”

She crosses her arms as she glares, but it’s not enough to throw her off.

“What do you need help with, again?”

She readies herself for a squeal and asks, “Can you help me find a dress?”

Mona just continues to grin, bouncing slightly. “Is this the part where we give you a makeover?” 

Zari blinks at her. There’s many things concerning her here, but she addresses her immediate concern. “We?”

“Yeah,  _ we _ .”

Nora appears over Mona’s shoulder, having heard the entire thing. Because of course she did. 

“How long have you been here?” Zari asks.

“I stayed the night,” Nora answers, shrugging. “I’m totally coming along, by the way.”

Now, Mona squeals a little. “It’s going to be fun.”

“We’re not doing a makeover. You can help me pick out new makeup at the most,” Zari reasons. “That’s it.”

“I’m good with that,” Nora says. “Let me put on some pants.”

“Oh, God,” she mutters, putting her face in her hands. They hadn’t even gone out and she was already regretting this. 

* * *

An hour later, Zari’s definitely regretting this decision.

She’d spent the last half hour milling around the story until Mona dropped a bundle of dresses in her arms. And now, with her superhuman strength, she was dragging her to the dressing rooms.

“So you’re just going to let her manhandle me?” Zari asks Nora, following behind them.

She shrugs. “I’m her girlfriend, not her keeper.”

With a sigh, Zari lets herself get shoved into the way-too-tiny dressing room. 

“Try the pink one first!” Mona says from outside the door.

Grimacing, she finds the pink dress. It’s definitely not her first choice of color, but as far as dresses go, it’s pretty comfortable. 

When Zari steps out to show them the dress, Mona lights up. “You look great!”

“You look like you’re going to prom,” Nora comments. “Not a wedding.”

“Hey, I didn’t choose the dress,” she says, crossing her arms. 

Nora turns to Mona. “Did you pick out any florals?”

Zari laughs. “I don’t really do patterns.”

“Half of your wardrobe is flannels and plaid pajama pants, Z,” Mona argues. “Besides, florals are perfect for weddings! Of course I picked one.”

She wants to argue back, but Nora pushes her back into the dressing room before she can protest. “Try the floral dress.”

* * *

After three more dresses, Zari picks up the last dress. It’s nothing fancy - just a plain sleeveless dress in a faded purple. 

It fits well - not too tight, falling almost to her ankles. The skirt isn’t too flowy, just enough to twirl out if she spins. And despite the dress before, it has what she would call a reasonable amount of cleavage. 

She steps out of the dressing room, smoothing down the skirt. “I think I actually like this one.”

Nora smiles, looking her up and down. “Well, it’s more modest than the one before.”

“I didn’t think it would be so....” Mona stammers, before saying, “Titty forward.”

Zari shudders. “Please never say the words ‘titty forward’ ever again.”

“That shade of purple really brings out the neutral undertones in your skin,” Nora says casually. 

When they both look at her with confused looks, she shrugs. 

“What? I read Cosmo when I’m bored,” she explains. “Basically, that color looks good on you.”

“Yeah,” Mona agrees. “This is  _ the  _ dress.”

“You make it sound like I’m the one getting married,” Zari says. But she can’t help the smile on her face when she looks in the mirror again. “I haven’t worn a dress since… God, I can’t remember.”

“Your brother’s graduation?”

“Visiting your family for Eid?”

She turns to them. “Yeah, both of those sound right.” She slides her hands to place them on her waist and-

“Oh my God, guys, it has pockets,” Zari exclaims. “This is definitely the dress.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u enjoyed this chapter be sure to leave a comment/a kudo if u haven't
> 
> next chapter, get ready for The Wedding


	7. the wedding pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding bells are ringing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo yo yo we got PT. 1 of sara and ava's wedding ya yeet if u were looking for any actual wedding content i'm sorry i haven't been to a wedding in three years
> 
> anyways hehe here we go

The day of the wedding arrives all too soon.

Zari gets ready way too early, which is definitely out of character for her. She has the apartment to herself that morning, what with Mona staying at Ray’s to get ready there. 

She ends up curling her hair, deciding to leave it down. It falls in black waves around her face as she does her makeup, a simple smoky eye and pink lipstick. With the purple dress, it’s a casual look - not too fancy, but not too sloppy either.

Sure, she gets pink lipstick all over her coffee mug, but she can always reapply it. She’s strangely nervous, waiting for Nate to arrive.

It’s just a favor, right? Going as her crush’s platonic plus-one to his best friend’s wedding because his ex will be there, that’s fine.

Her phone buzzes from its charger, and Zari quickly abandons her second cup of coffee to check it.

**yoga stoner: ** omw!

Her heart speeds up in her chest, and that’s not the fault of the caffeine running through her veins. Maybe she shouldn’t have drank so much coffee. 

The thing is, she didn’t sleep much last night. Her mind just kept racing with everything that could go wrong because of course it did. In fact, she ended up filming a late-night gaming session since she didn’t have to worry about waking up Mona and her sleep-deprived gaming vids can get pretty funny.

Hopefully the coffee is enough to stave off her stupidest thoughts that she could blurt out, especially if she’ll be dealing her crush’s ex. Oh boy.

Zari decides that she should actually be getting ready. She slips her phone and her lipstick in her pockets - god, she loves this dress so much - and grabs the sandals she bought to go with the dress. The low heel is just enough that she doesn’t feel uncomfortable and adds to the casual feel of the outfit.

Wow, she definitely spent too much time with Nora giving advice from her reading of Cosmopolitan. There’s worse things to have extensive knowledge of, though.

The doorbell rings as she finishes strapping on her sandals. “Coming!” she calls, getting off the couch to open the door.

Her first thought when she sees Nate is that life is cruel and unfair sometimes. He looks - ugh, the word choice that comes to mind makes her roll her eyes internally - ravishing in a navy suit, with a pale pink tie to compliment it. Once again, Nora’s Cosmo knowledge is seeping through. His hair’s done up in a slightly nicer pompadour than usual, face fresh shaven.

He gives her a quick cursory look, clearing his throat. “Well, you look-”

“-Hot, I know,” Zari cuts him off before he can give her some stupid compliment. She will probably combust on sight if he tells her she looks good right now, just out of principle. “You clean up pretty nice yourself.”

Nate smooths down his suit with a smile. “You think?”

She grabs her keys from their hook by the door. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The actual wedding is at some hotel by the Gardener river, just a little outside of city limits It’s a long drive in Nate’s Prius, listening to a classic rock station on the radio.

Zari doesn’t try to make much conversation for most of the time, focusing instead of making sure they don’t get lost. There’s traffic, making it seem to slog on.

“That’s why I left early,” he complains, gripping the steering wheel. “Fucking freeways, man.”

“Why did they have to have it so far away?” she adds, leaning back in her seat. He’d already reprimanded her for putting her feet up on the dash, quoting that it was more dangerous if they got into a wreck. “There’s plenty of good venues in the city.”

“Mona encouraged them to go with something scenic.” He scowls as the cars continue to inch along.

She takes her lipstick out of her pocket and pulls down the visor to fix her lipstick. It’s better to do it when they’re barely moving than waiting until they get there. 

“Hey, why are you so worried about your ex anyways?” Zari asks casually, fiddling with her tube of lipstick. They’re stuck here, so there’s nothing better to do.

Nate sighs, not looking at her. “I thought she was the love of my life,” he says quietly. “We just had… different plans, I guess. She went off to join the WWF and I stayed here… teaching yoga.” 

Zari tries to think of something to say, but the navigation app cuts her off with a suggestion for an alternate route. 

As he changes lanes to get ready to exit, she finally settles on, “Just because you two went different ways doesn’t mean you can’t find love again.” She doesn’t say that ‘the love of your life’ trope is utter bullshit, but well, it is. 

“I know that whenever I see her, I get my hopes up like we’ll fall back into place and everything will be okay,” he admits. 

They exit off the freeway, onto the little highway Siri told them to follow. It’s right along the river, guiding them to their destination.

“I get that,” Zari says. “But you have to… move on.”

He finally turns to her, loosening his grip on the steering wheel. “I’m trying to.” He gives her a small smile then turns his attention back to the road.

She turns to the window, doing her fucking best not to overthink that. Giving advice and pep talks may not be her strong suit, but it’s even harder trying not to let her own emotions get involved. 

Remember, Z, she tells herself, this is just a favor. Don’t think about it too much.

If only it was that easy. 

* * *

They still manage to get there on time. Not early enough to get a really good seat, it seems, but Ray waves them over when he sees them.

Zari slides in next to Mona in the seats they’ve saved for them, already feeling a little claustrophobic around all these people. On her other side, Nate looks through the program, leg bouncing.

It’s a nice venue, sure, but she still thinks she would have liked it if it was closer. The canopy they’re under shields them from the midday sun, with the river stretching out behind the altar. 

“What did he think of the dress?” Mona asks under her breath.

“Does it matter?” Zari asks back. “Like I said, it’s not a date.”

“Sure it isn’t,” Mona replies, making her roll her eyes.

The pianist starts to play, and she turns her head to the aisle. A flower girl makes her way down the path, throwing little flower petals.

Next are the maids of honor. She recognizes Nora as Ava’s choice, her hair pinned up but the woman next to her is-

“I think that’s my ex’s sister,” Zari whispers. Charlie had casually mentioned their twin sister, identical in looks but different in every other way. And they really did look alike - without the piercings and leather, of course. They’d probably told her here name, but right now she was completely blanking.

Nate coughs a little too loudly, causing the woman next to him to give him a nasty look. “Dude, that’s  _ my _ ex. Amaya.’

Zari watches her make her way to her position on the left side of the arch.

What a world. What a  _ fucking _ world. Seriously, what is her luck to find someone who was exes with her ex’s sister and then get a crush on him? That’s like something that would happen in one of those series of romance novels about a group of girls all finding love at the perfect timing so the other relationships are rock solid by the next book. 

She takes a step back and wonders if this is the time to compare her life to a Nora Roberts series. Like, come on, it’s not that serious.

Next to her, Nate stands up as Sara and Ava make their way down the aisle. With Sara in her ivory pantsuit and Ava in a simple but elegant dress, they make quite the pair. 

“We are gathered here today…” 

As the officiator starts, Zari looks over at Nate. His eyes aren’t on the brides - instead, he’s looking at Amaya.

So much for not thinking about it too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya YEET (please stop me if i try to say ya yeet ever again) if you're bemoaning abt having to wait a week to see what happens next well son i got a surprise for u
> 
> cuz the next chapter goes up tomorrow hell to the yes
> 
> idk what bro possessed my body rn but yea look forward to it clear ur schedules
> 
> if u liked leave a comment or a kudo smth to show ya thank y'all


	8. the wedding pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone's getting a little jealous...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry there isn't as much drama in this as it seems
> 
> part 2 is here lads ik the suspense was killin yall 
> 
> enjooyyyyyy

Zari likes to say she’s not the jealous type. That’s not exactly true. Sure, she’ll give the occasional spiteful glare towards her crush being all cute with his girlfriend, but she thinks it’s a lot better than being the jealous, pour-an-entire-glass-of-ice-water-down-the-front-of-your-ex’s-new-girlfriend type. 

Yeah, that wasn’t one of her best memories of her time with Charlie.

But when Mona asks her if she’s jealous during the reception, Zari answers, “A bit.”

Nate’s over at the bar getting them drinks, but he seems distracted. He keeps looking over at the brides’ table, where Amaya is talking to some dude she’s never seen before, sitting beside her.

And she is a bit jealous.

Mona grins, squealing a little. “I knew it! You like him!”

“Could you say that any louder? I don’t think the other half of the wedding guests heard you,” Zari shoots back. 

She giggles, taking another sip of her champagne. Great, her roommate and only confidant at this wedding is tipsy.

Nate sits back down at the table, handing her a glass. “Your club soda with lime, my dear.”

She rolls her eyes, taking the lime off the rim and squeezing it into her glass. “Do I need to take your keys now?”

He takes a small sip of his whiskey. “This is my only drink of the night. I promise.”

Zari hears another giggle from her other side, taking a sip of her drink. “Do you know when they’re serving dinner? I haven’t eaten since that mint you gave me in the car.”

“I think they’ll have dinner out soon,” he answers, craning his head to look over at the catering staff.

“Thank God,” she says. She’s about to ask if there’s going to be something she can actually eat, before she does, he adds:

“Oh, and I already marked you for the vegetarian entree when they sent an email out asking about it. It was the only option that was halal.” Nate smiles at her when he says it, twirling his glass gently. 

It’s such a small thing, a stupid small thing that he made sure to check that she could get something halal, but she feels her heart beat a little faster. “Thanks,” she mutters, smiling back. “Cuz if you didn’t, we would have had to stop off at Taco Bell.”

“Aw, man, now I’m just thinking about their quesaritos,” he replies, giving her a fake pout. 

She punches his arm a little, still smiling. “You can get a quesarito any time, you nerd.” 

* * *

Dinner comes out not too long afterwards, with her and Mona’s plates of roasted spaghetti squash and Nate’s tri-tip. She focuses on her food which is, admittedly, better than she had hoped out of a vegetarian entree and eavesdrops on two of Sara’s friends chatting.

“So, Jefferson, when can we expect you and Ms. Coello to tie the knot?” the older man asks.

His friend laughs, clasping his girlfriend’s hand. “Don’t worry, Grey, we’re not gonna run off and elope.”

Zari stabs one of the mushrooms, but she doesn’t eat it. She looks over at Nate, who  _ isn’t _ glancing over at the brides’ table. He’s looking down at his plate, seeming distracted.

“Hey.” 

He raises his head, turning to her. “What?”

She holds up her fork. “Want a mushroom?”

With a shrug, Nate says, “Sure.” He opens his mouth to take it off her fork, raising his eyebrows as he chews. “Mm, not bad.”

“Yeah, I was expecting more of a sad salad,” Zari says, scooping up another bite. “How’s your steak?”

“You know, it’s just a little too rare for me,” he says. “Maybe I’ll just-” He quickly steals a tiny bit of her spaghetti squash, before she can argue.

“Hey,” she exclaims, elbowing him softly. “Don’t steal my food!”

Nate laughs, loud enough that the other people at their table stop their conversations. 

Zari feels her face heat up as she stifles a laugh, snorting a little. “Thief.”

He grins, the familiar crooked grin she’s memorized from hours of editing the footage of their baking video. “At least you didn’t break one of my ribs.”

Well, he has a point. People have joked that she doesn’t easily share her food, to the extent that she once elbowed her brother in the gut a little too hard because he tried to steal a fry off her plate.

And despite the stories Behrad likes to spread, she did  _ not _ break a rib. At most, she left a pretty nasty bruise.

That’s not the point here - she’s the one who offered him food first. Which is weird, even for her. 

“Well, yeah, I would have broken my elbow in the process,” Zari finally says.

Not the best way to respond to that. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Amaya head over to the bar. It’s barely ten seconds before Nate turns to her and asks, “Hey, I’m going to get a soda. You want a refill?”

“Sure,” she replies, smiling falsely. He doesn’t see through it as he gets up, grinning.

Zari takes a bite of her meal, scowling as she chews. It’s not like watching them talk is going to change anything, she thinks. 

Mona nudges her, luckily not hard enough to bruise. “You have to make your move,” she tells her. “Before it’s too late!”

“I’m not going to-” Zari sighs heavily. “Make a move or anything.” She turns to her roommate. “I don’t want to fuck up what Nate and I have.”

“A bunch of chemistry that both of you are afraid to fully acknowledge because of your individual romantic traumas?” she suggests.

“No- okay, maybe.” She didn’t really think she would be psychoanalyzed for her life choices at this gay wedding by her drunk friend, but unfortunately she’s not too far off. “I don’t have any ‘romantic traumas’, I just don’t want to ruin what we have as friends,” she admits with a shrug. “Like, I like going out to get smoothies with him and just hanging out.”

“Z, that ‘smoothies after yoga’ tradition has definitely been you two pretending you’re not going on post-workout dates.” There’s no judgement, just stating the truth that have kinda been ignoring all this time. 

“Okay, you know what? I’m going to get some air.” Zari stands up before Mona can reveal any more uncomfortable truths about her  _ thing _ with Nate, taking one last look at him.

Whatever, she thinks, seeing the way they’re talking. It’s not like she came here as his date or anything.

With that, she heads towards the door, leaving the reception hall behind her.

* * *

It’s actually a pretty nice hotel, now that she gets the chance to look around. 

Zari ends up back outside, sitting in the courtyard. The sun is barely starting to set, but the delta breeze already sends a chill through her bones.

She probably should have brought a jacket. Then again, she didn’t think she’d be dipping it out halfway through dinner.

Getting away from all the chatter and noise inside helps clear her head as she looks toward the river. Since she moved to Central City, she hasn’t gotten a lot of chances to the piers or anything. She’d been planning a video to use as an excuse to check out some of the seafood places down there, but she hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

While she’s lost in thoughts of that lobster bisque Nora gushed about from some little riverside shack, Zari barely notices the footsteps before Nate’s already joined her.

“How did you find me?” she asks without looking at him.

“Mona told me you disappeared because you were ‘afraid of confronting your feelings’” he answers. 

She turns to him, smiling. “Yeah, I think she’s had too much champagne.”

Nate laughs. “Just a little,” he adds. 

They sit there in silence for a while, Zari wrapping her arms around herself as it grows darker. Damn, this sleeveless dress was a good idea until she spent too much time outside.

“Oh, here.” He drapes his jacket over her shoulders, still warm from his body heat. 

“Thanks.” She absentmindedly pulls it closer around herself before asking, “So, how did it go with Amaya?”

It’s a stupid question to ask, she knows that. It’s not like she’s his girlfriend, she doesn’t really have the right to be all jealous and bitter.

He clears his throat. “Oh. You saw us.”

“Yep.” She pops the  _ p _ as she says it, looking down at her lap.

“We just caught up. I asked about her work in Africa, she asked about how things were in Central City…” Nate trails off, staring at the river. “She told me about her boyfriend. Some human rights activist.”

Zari glances back up at him, the solemn expression on his face. Turns out, there really was no reason to be bitter. “Dude, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” He looks back at her. “It made me realize that… maybe I have moved on already.”

She finds her eyes flicking down to his lips. This is such a Nicholas Sparks, sappy romantic movie moment, but she’s not going to give in that easily. 

“That’s good,” she says quickly. “That you moved on, not-” She laughs awkwardly. Maybe it would have been better if she just kissed him and got it over with. “We should probably… head back inside before Mona gets suspicious.”

“And about half of our friends,” Nate adds. He pushes himself up, extending his hand to her. 

Looking back up at him, she takes it. His hand is warm and deceptively soft. Then again, yoga isn’t exactly the kind of activity to give you calluses, not like weight lifting or violin. “I hope we didn’t miss them cutting the cake.”

“Don’t worry.” He smiles. “I’m sure we didn’t miss a thing.”

They start to walk back to the hotel, not in any kind of rush.

“Hey,” Zari asks out of the blue. “Isn’t it weird that we dated siblings?”

Nate starts to crack up. “Oh my God, I just realized that.”

Even if they’re still laughing as they walk back into the reception hall, she doesn’t even care what they look like together. She’s too caught up to notice she’s still wearing his jacket, leaning on his arm. 

He tries to compose himself as they walk back to their seat, his cheeks still pink from laughing so hard. “Still thinking about getting Taco Bell after this? Just to keep our tradition going and all,” he says, sounding a little breathless. 

Zari shrugs. “I could use a Baja Blast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i only have two more chapters of this fic to post then i'm done what the heck
> 
> tune in next week for the end of this story, a very roundabout kinda ending then we have a bit of an epilogue the week after that. i'm happy i kept this short and sweet but hey i might try my hand at more multichapter fics in the future
> 
> if u liked this chapter or even if u thought this chapter was trash compared to the other ones, leave a comment n maybe a kudo if you're up to it. i've really enjoyed writing this fic and getting more involved with the fandom so thank you to all my readers out there (i'll probably leave a more formal note on the epilogue but i gotta show my gratitude ya feel)
> 
> (and i didn't say ya yeet this time it's miracle)


	9. full circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story comes to a close back where it all started - well, close enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact i'm actually posting this in a taco bell bc fate lines up too perfectly sometimes (one of the nicest ones i've been, and definitely nicer than the one i had in mind when writing this chapter lol)
> 
> the last (official) chapter of this story! oh my god i remember when this was a stupid idea of worlds colliding and now it's a full ass universe
> 
> might want to write some one-shots, more steelhacker shit as well as working out the dynamic of zari n mona bc hi, i'm predictable n i love both of them but next chapter is a close on this particular tale
> 
> read on, my dudes

It’s fitting, actually, where they end up.

The closest Taco Bell is the one they went after Ray’s party, trying to avoid Amaya and socialization in general. Still open until 2 AM, right off the freeway.

Zari is fully aware they look out of place, dressed in formal wear in an empty Taco Bell. Her lipstick is smudged, with plenty of pink marks on her club soda glasses to blame. She’s still wearing Nate’s jacket, since he hasn’t asked for it back. He’s rolled up his sleeves, though, and taken off his tie.

Frankly, she thinks, it’s an unfairly hot look.

It’s not the rude cashier this time that brings up their order. Instead it’s a peppy brunette who looks like she drank a whole pot of coffee before clocking in for work.

“What can I do for you today?” she asks, smiling almost manically.

“Uh, I’ll have a Baja Blast and he’ll have a steak quesarito,” Zari says, ordering for the both of them. “Do you want a drink?”

“Sure.”

“And a regular soda.” 

That’s when she realizes - shit, she doesn’t have her wallet. But, wait, they’re in 2019, she has Apple Pay. Duh. 

“Do you take Apple Pay?” she asks, smiling.

The cashier gives her a pitiful frown. “Sorry, we haven’t gotten it set up yet.”

But Nate, chivalrous as always, steps forward and swipes his card. Usually, she’d be dead set against a guy paying for her, but she can always Venmo him back the money. “I got this,” he whispers.

“Thanks,” Zari whispers back. 

Her smile spreading back on her face, the cashier takes an empty cup out for him and starts to pour her Baja Blast. 

She clenches his jacket closer around herself, the faint smell of aftershave clinging to the collar. It’s still a little chilly in here, she thinks, that’s her excuse and she’s sticking to it. 

“Here’s your Baja Blast.” The cashier slides it across the counter. “We’ll call you when your order is ready.”

Nate smiles as she takes her drink. “Thanks.” He turns over to look around the restaurant before nudging her shoulder. “Hey, our booth is open.”

Long ago, Zari decided fate and all that was cheesy, just wishful thinking. But for a moment, it feels like a sign that the booth they got last time,  _ their _ booth, is the only one by the drive-thru that isn’t littered with napkins and rings of water from drinks. Then she thinks about how rude people are not to clean up after themselves - seriously, it isn’t that hard to throw away a napkin.

“Our booth?” she asks, looking up at him. 

“Well, it… could be our booth?” he says. 

Zari nudges him back. “Go grab me a straw,” she tells him. “I’m gonna grab our booth.”

* * *

This certainly isn’t how she envisioned this night ending - sitting in an empty Taco Bell, wearing Nate’s jacket like it was her own. He still hadn’t asked for it back - not that she had given it much thought.

It isn’t a very romantic situation, really. Nothing out of a rom-com or a Harlequin novel. But squeezed into one side of the booth, with only the staff to keep them company, it sure as hell could be.

“Okay, one to ten, how would you rate the wedding cake?” Zari asks, taking a sip of her Baja Blast.

Nate laughs. “I didn’t know we were rating the catering.”

“I’m pretty sure they went to a separate bakery for the cake,” she says. “Have you never planned a wedding?”

“Don’t judge my lack of knowledge about wedding planning,” he argues, trying to defend himself. “I’m not-”

“What?”

“An avid watcher of TLC’s series  _ Four Weddings _ ,” Nate finishes lamely. 

Zari can barely contain herself before she starts to laugh, snorting a little. “I have never heard of that in my  _ life _ , what the-”

“These brides go to other people’s weddings and judge them, I don’t know how to explain it, Z!” She turns to him, seeing him trying to stifle his own laughter. 

“You just explained it, dude.” She lets out another laugh, before breathing in deeply to try to compose herself. “How do you know what it is if you haven’t watched it?”

He sighs deeply, like the memory alone weighs heavily on his shoulders. “I was stuck in bed after a surgery and there was a marathon on. It was years ago, don’t judge me.”

“I’m judging a little bit,” Zari replies, still smiling. That feeling from so long ago, the feeling of slipping into a sweater that she just took out of the dryer creeps back, or did it never really go away? Maybe it’s just sitting here, in the same spot from all those months ago, that brings it all back. 

Oh, God. It’s now or never, she realizes.

“Can I kiss you?” she asks before really taking the time to think about it.

Nate looks at her like she slapped him instead of asking for a kiss. But as soon as the shock fades, he breathes the word, “Sure.”

It’s not a perfect kiss - there isn’t a lot of room to manuvuer in a booth, after all. She takes his face in her hands and leans in. His lips are soft, like his hands and his words and those little smiles he gives her. Moving one hand to the back of his neck, she pushes him in a little closer.

Maybe it’s a little too intense of a kiss for a Taco Bell. PDA has never been her thing, especially with first kisses and all.

Zari pulls away, looking into his eyes. He still looks a little dazed, but he clears his throat. “Wow,” he says.

She can only chuckle nervously, moving her hands away. “Great kiss, or-”

“No. I mean, yes.” Nate smiles, laughing a little. His cheeks are flushed - come on, Heywood, it was only a slightly-too-deep-for-public-spaces kiss. “You’re forward.”

“I’m really not,” Zari tells him. She takes a look around the empty Taco Bell - well, mostly empty, if you ignore the people working the drive-thru or the cashier. “Do you want to take this somewhere more private?”

“I’d love to.”

* * *

“Has anyone ever told you that you snore?” Nate asks, handing her a plate. The scrambled egg whites quiver as she sits down.

“Pot calling the kettle black,” Zari says, pushing up the sleeves of the CC Cougars hoodie she ‘borrowed’. “Pass the salt.”

She can’t say she’s been with a lot of people who’s made her breakfast the morning after. There was Charlie who couldn’t cook to save their lives but always made sure to have coffee for her, and that one guy who tried to surprise her in bed…. with eggs and bacon. 

And yeah, he wanted to go out to a diner instead. Given that she only had her dress from last night, that offer was declined. 

He hands her the salt as he joins her. “I don’t snore,” he replies with a laugh.

“Uh, yeah, you do.” She seasons her eggs, smiling. “I’ll just bring earplugs next time.”

Nate looks up at her as she gives him back the salt shaker. “Next time?”

“Of course there’s going to be a next time,” Zari tells him. “Well, maybe not if you’re a shitty cook.”

“Please, Z.” He picks up his fork with a grin. “Even I can’t fuck up eggs.”

She takes a bite of the, admittedly, well cooked eggs. “I’d ask you to take me out on a date first, but I guess you already have.”

Lamely, he attempts to act confused, but Zari raises her eyebrows at him. “Fine. All those smoothie-”

“Dates, Nate. They were definitely smoothie dates.”

With that, they both start to laugh. “God, how did it take us so long to figure it out?”

“According to our resident romance expert, because we were too busy dealing with our own shit to see that we should be together.”

Nate pokes his eggs. “Maybe I should have made smoothies.”

“Stick to what you know, dude,” Zari tells him scooping up another bite. “These eggs are good enough to earn you a next time.”

“Well, aren’t I lucky?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget to tune in next week for the epilogue! to everyone who's stuck around since their first time at taco bell, or even if you joined in around the baklava video, thank you so much for your support. 
> 
> remember, y'all can hmu at lovevalley45.tumblr.com if u want to send some steelhacker ideas or just read thru my s1 rewatch
> 
> stay crispy yall


	10. chapter ten: happily ever after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An epilogue.

From behind the camera, Zari laughs. “Okay, stay right there.”

Nate puts his hands on his hips. “Are we good?”

“Almooost-” She presses record. “Let’s do this.”

This definitely wasn’t the way she planned to tell her subscribers that she and Nate were officially a thing. It was, however, the perfect way to do it.

The studio he teaches in is a lot more spacious than her apartment, but she meets up with him and leans against his arm. The red light blinks at them before she grins.

“Hello, guys. Today, I’m trying something new,” Zari says.

“We’re going to be trying couples’ yoga poses,” Nate adds.

She chuckles, looking up at him. “God, this already sounds so stupid.”

“You were the one who suggested it,” he replies.

“Yeah, as a joke.” With that, she turns back to the camera. “If you haven’t guessed, this is also an announcement video. Kind of.”

“We’re finally dating,” Nate says with a grin. “And to celebrate, we’re trying some of the weirdest yoga poses we could find.”

Zari pulls away from him, mirroring his stance. “Let’s start with an easy one to warm up. Disclaimer, he’s good at yoga, I’m-”

“You’re… decent at yoga,” he interrupts. “She’s still in my beginner’s class.”

She sticks her tongue out at him. “Rude.”

* * *

Hours later, Zari can’t help but smile as she replays the intro for Nate. They’re both tired, but her cheeks are starting to hurt from laughing.

“You ready?” he asks.

“Ready for what?” She crosses her arms. “A nice, hot shower to rinse away all my bruises since I fell, like, five times?”

“To tell the world.” There’s a hint of concern on his face as he glances down at her. “You know, we can never go back.”

Zari doesn’t reply. Instead, she kisses him, looping her arms around his neck. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow shit guys this is the end! well, not the completely end since i'd love to write some lil ficlets in this same AU but damn
> 
> i feel like i should say smth more emotional but i just want to tell y'all that i love my readers and the support i've gotten writing this has been so nice. so the real thanks should be to you guys, making sure i didn't just abandon this fic when i had trouble getting past my writers' block.
> 
> remember y'all can always find me at lovevalley45.tumblr.com if u want to bug me or see other steelhacker ficlets i post from time to time. love ya, bye <3

**Author's Note:**

> ya yeet i have the next few chapters finished so i'll probably post the next one sometime this week? 
> 
> if u're into this very specific au leave a kudo or maybe a fun lil comment 
> 
> anyways. hmu at lovevalley45.tumblr.com if u wanna talk abt steelhacker or smth idk


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